ACTOR and TV presenter Les Dennis claimed yesterday that the birth of his daughter had given him a new lease of life at the age of 54.

The former Family Fortunes star, who was speaking about his frank autobiography, Must The Show Go On?, admitted life was good with new partner Claire and his baby daughter.

After the public humiliations he suffered during the break-up of his marriage to actress Amanda Holden and his apparent breakdown on Celebrity Big Brother, Dennis is thanking his lucky stars.

He said: “I can’t get the smile off my face. I don’t care as much about the business. To have it (a family life) back and realise what you’ve got is the most beautiful gift in the world.

“Fifty-four is a great age to become a dad because you are up three times a night anyway.”

He told the audience at the Sky Movies Cinema, that the humiliation he suffered as a result of Amanda Holden’s affair with fellow actor Neil Morrissey, was karma revisiting him for the sins of his past.

The Liverpudlian had a series of affairs while married to first wife, Lynne, at the height of his fame.

He said: “I was very bad to Lynne. I became somebody who was good at lying. When you are in showbusiness and you’re doing well, there are lots of people telling you how great you are.

“You get above your station. What happened during my second marriage was karma for the way I treated Lynne. When you do something in life, it will come back and bite you on the bum.”

The fatal blow to his marriage with Amanda Holden came when she wasn’t there to welcome him after he emerged from the Celebrity Big Brother House.

Although he accuses the team at Endemol of editing him into a pathetic figure, he is grateful to the BB house, because it kick-started his flagging career.

Shortly afterwards, Ricky Gervais offered him a part in his series, Extras, playing a “twisted, demented version of himself”.

“It was a chance to show I have a sense of humour about what has happened to me.

“It was Extras that gave me the chance to prove I could act,” he added.

“If I hadn’t done Big Brother, I wouldn’t have got Extras, I wouldn’t have got to this position in my life.”